By Scott Brinton
A Herald investigation revealed that eating poppy seeds on bagels or rolls could cause false positives in drug tests. Grossman, 35, the father of two young children, said that he had eaten a poppy-seed bagel on the morning of the test.
Two of Grossman's urine samples were tested. Sanitary District No. 2 ruled both drug tests as inconclusive, and Grossman was allowed to return to work this past week with full back pay, he said.
Another Sanitary District No. 2 worker, Dan Ryan, of Baldwin, was forced to resign earlier this year after his urine test came back positive for morphine use as well. He, too, insisted that the test was a false positive caused by his eating poppy-seed rolls nearly every morning. However, as a part-time worker without union protection as Grossman receives, Ryan had to accept an ultimatum -- resign or be fired.
This past week, Ryan was also permitted to return to work, said Grossman.
